Funds for better care
Oshawa boy raising money to give Sick Kids hospital in Toronto a new outpatient room
Jacob Ralston, working alongside his mother Melissa, is helping to raise money to get a new outpatient room for Sick Kids in Toronto. Ralston, who is currently awaiting his 13th surgery in relation to his severe Crohns Disease, says the current facilities are dark and drab, and believes a more vibrant and positive environment will lead to young patients not dreading the space and healing better.
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
To say that Jacob Ralston has had his fair share of trips to the hospital would be an understatement.
The well-spoken 12-year-old is currently awaiting his 13th surgery in an effort to fight the severe Crohns Disease he was diagnosed with three years ago.
But one thing that bothers him, he says, is just how drab and depressing the outpatient rooms are at Sick Kids in Toronto.
“Right now, there’s two televisions that are old. Really old. And there’s six, seven patients, so it’s a bit of a fight over the TV,” he tells The Oshawa Express. “The kids can’t even control the TVs because they can’t reach the remotes. I think each chair should have its own TV…would provide a bit of a distraction (from the treatments).”
Jacob says he’d also like to see a new coat of paint on the walls and more things to do to help keep the kids in the unit – who are in there for up to eight hours at a time receiving treatment – to stay positive and distracted from their treatments.
“We want to make it child friendly,” says Melissa, Jacob’s mom, who says she likens the look of the room to that of older hospitals. “They had that disgusting, drab colour. That’s kind of what the room is like. They’re very sterile environments. They only have a few stickers on the wall to liven it up.”
“There’s nothing entertaining for children,” Jacob adds. “It would be mostly entertaining to an adult. Mostly the reason I’m doing this is to make people happy, but because the patient’s environment helps their healing. If their emotional side is down, they might get worse.”
So far, Jacob has raised $4,200 towards his goal of $60,000.
Jacob and his mom first noticed something was wrong three years ago, when he started suffering from severe stomach pains and bloody diarrhea. Initially diagnosed with colitis, Jacob would have his colon removed in February 2013. Jacob says he requested that his colon be donated for research.
While that usually would make things better for someone with colitis, Jacob’s symptoms continued, and was rediagnosed with Crohns Disease in 2014.
Now, three years since his initial diagnosis, Jacob is awaiting his 13th surgery.
“The worse I get, the more I want to help other people with problems,” Jacob says.
To read Jacob’s blog, which includes a link for donations, please visit jacobshealingrooms.blogspot.ca.